At tele-town hall, Rep. Nick LaLota lists shutdown's impact on Long Island, blames Democrats for stalemate
1st Congressional District Rep. Nick Lalota at a televised debate in October last year. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
Republican Rep. Nick LaLota hosted a virtual town hall Wednesday evening where he placed blame for the federal government shutdown firmly on Democrats, saying it will take "more time and embarrassment" from the opposing party until there’s a resolution.
During the one-hour event, LaLota, of Amityville, fielded 11 questions from constituents on the uncertainty of air travel, health care subsidies, Medicaid and Social Security and what can be done to merge the gap between the two parties.
LaLota, who said he was in Washington despite the House not being in legislative session, hosted the virtual event on the eighth day of the shutdown and called for Democratic leadership to allow for additional senators to cross the aisle to reach the 60 votes needed to fund the "status quo government" that will allow more time for negotiations on larger issues.
He also spoke about the shutdown’s impact on Long Island, from air traffic controllers at MacArthur Airport facing "overwhelming stress" to Brookhaven National Lab where "federal research funding is drying up" and employees are being furloughed.
Wednesday brought a sixth failed Senate vote for new funding that could have reopened agencies. And the impact continued to expand as the IRS on Wednesday furloughed nearly half its workforce and most of its operations are closed, The Associated Press reported.
LaLota blamed Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) for the stalled negotiations, saying they are "threatened by" the progressive wing of the party and members like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx/Queens) and New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
LaLota fielded criticism from some callers, including a Port Jefferson woman who said "Republicans own this shutdown." The congressman said he disagreed with her characterization. "You'd have to have some sort of Jedi mind trick power to convince me or many other reasonable people that somehow Republicans caused this shutdown," he said.
Part of the conversation focused on Affordable Care Act subsidies, which have been a main policy battle driving the shutdown. Democrats are trying to renew COVID-era subsidies that made Obamacare more affordable, while Republicans have argued federal funding is going toward undocumented immigrants.
One caller asked LaLota directly if it’s true Schumer is holding up the bill "because they want to give the illegals health care."
LaLota replied, "Yes, it is true."
Schumer has said giving undocumented immigrants health insurance through the ACA, Medicaid or Medicare is an "outright lie," calling it a distraction "from how Republicans shut the government down instead of fixing health care" in a recent X post.
At issue, however, is that the Democrats’ bill would restore Medicaid eligibility to how it was before Trump’s "One Big Beautiful Act" to cover those with lawful status like certain refugees, asylees and other previously eligible immigrants, Newsday previously reported.
LaLota said the Democrats’ continuing resolution to finance the government "would undo those reforms that I think protect Medicaid for those American citizens who it was designed to protect."
LaLota was the first of Long Island’s representatives to hold a tele-town hall since the shutdown began. Rep. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre) was scheduled to be in Freeport Thursday to discuss the "cost-of-living crisis on Long Island."
Between 8,000 and 9,000 people were on the virtual call, LaLota said.
One caller, who identified herself as a Democrat and retired nurse, said "Republicans need to bend a little. You’re hurting a lot of people with that big, beautiful bill."
Her husband, a Republican, offered a differing opinion: "Democrats definitely shut it down."
Newsday's Billy House contributed to this story.
Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.
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